Renew your U.S. passport by mail (Form DS-82)

Can you renew by mail?

If even one of these is not true, you need Form DS-11 in person. The State Department also offers online renewal for some people; you must do it yourself on the official site, opr.travel.state.gov⁴.

Step by step

Print Form DS-82 single-sided, sign and date it, staple one photo with four staples in the corners, include your most recent passport and the fee, and mail it with the U.S. Postal Service. No $35 acceptance fee applies to DS-82.⁶

Checklist

What goes in the envelope

Print checklist

• Form DS-82, printed single-sided, signed and dated
• One passport photo, stapled as the form shows
• Your most recent passport book or card
• Certified name change document, if your name changed
• Check or money order payable to "U.S. Department of State", with your name and date of birth on it
• "EXPEDITE" written on the outside of the envelope, if you are paying for expedited service

Do and don't

Do

• Send your most recent passport; the old one is returned to you in a separate mailing.
• Use the form filler on the official site or a printed PDF, and print on one side of the paper only.
• Keep a copy of everything you send and the tracking number.

Don't

• Don't send cash.
• Don't use mail renewal for a passport that is damaged or that you reported lost or stolen.
• Don't pay a website that says it will renew online for you. The State Department warns that websites or companies claiming to renew your passport online for you may be fraudulent, even with "Gov" in their name; official sites end in .gov.⁷

Fees

These are government fees. They are paid to the U.S. Department of State, not to Passmere.

By mail or at an acceptance facility, pay the application fee with a check or money order payable to "U.S. Department of State", with the applicant's name and date of birth in the memo. The acceptance fee is paid separately to the facility. Online renewals are paid by credit or debit card.¹³

Where to mail it

Routine service if you live in California, Florida, Illinois, Minnesota, New York or Texas:

National Passport Processing CenterPost Office Box 640155Irving, TX 75064-0155¹⁴

Routine service from any other state:

National Passport Processing CenterPost Office Box 90155Philadelphia, PA 19190-0155¹⁵

Expedited service, from any state:

National Passport Processing CenterPost Office Box 90955Philadelphia, PA 19190-0955¹⁶

For expedited service, write "EXPEDITE" on the outside of the envelope. Living outside the United States and Canada? From outside the United States and Canada, the domestic mailing addresses do not apply; contact the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate.¹⁷

How long it takes

• Routine processing: 4–6 weeks².
• Expedited processing: 2–3 weeks¹⁸.
• Mailing can add up to 2 weeks¹⁹ each way.
• Your old passport and documents come back up to 4 weeks²⁰ after the new passport.

Traveling soon? Read Urgent travel: getting a passport fast.

Frequently asked questions